Early Renaissance Cut-and-Thrust swords, such as this one based on an 16th Century Italian example, were descendents of the earlier, familiar medieval swords. These blades share the tapered profile and diamond cross section typical of late medieval types. Blades of this form are tapered sharply enough for good thrusting and armor penetration, but the blade retains the mass needed to give debilitating cuts.

The big changes are in the hilt - the quillons of cut and thrust swords often became more curved and complex and additional protective rings appear above the crossguard to protect the swordsman’s index finger. The ricasso above the blade is unsharpened and protected with rings so that the fighter can loop a finger over the crossguard giving him more blade control. All of this extra hilt protection was introduced to follow the trend of warriors discarding bulky gauntlets in favor of an unencumbered and nimble hand.The clashing and sliding of swords is clearly dangerous to the hands, but hilts that evolved into ever more complex forms gave excellent protection.

Cut-and-Thrust swords are often incorrectly viewed as precursors to the rapier, when in fact they co-existed with the thinner, iconic rapier. The beefier cut-and-thrust design was favored by soldiers, whereas the rapier was largely a civilian weapon. Weapons used in battle needed the durability to defend and deflect against the weapons of numerous foes for longer periods of time, in contrast to the rapier that was most often used in one-on-one duels in a short burst of action. Cut-and-Thrust swords were often used in conjunction with a buckler or parrying dagger to complete the art of defence.

This cut-and-thrust sword is identified as a ‘’Spada da Lato’’ or ‘’Side Sword’’ - a variant intended for civilian defense. It is made by Del Tin of Italy, and has an unsharpened blade ground from Chrome-Vanadium steel and tempered to a Rockwell Hardness of 50. The blade is peened to the pommel and ensconced within a complex hilt of darkened, cast steel. The grip has been wrapped with steel wire and surmounted with contrasting cast brass knotwork wire ferrules.